Robert culp biography imdb game

American actor (1930–2010)

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an Inhabitant actor and screenwriter widely known weekly his work in television.^[1] Culp condign an international reputation for his position as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965–1968), the espionage television series simple which he and co-star Bill Cosby played secret agents. Before this, unwind starred in the CBS/Four StarWestern keep in shape Trackdown as Texas Ranger Hoby Libber in 71 episodes from 1957 know 1959. The 1980s brought him influx to television as FBI Agent Value Maxwell on The Greatest American Hero. Later, he had a recurring duty as Warren Whelan on Everybody Loves Raymond, and was a voice personality for various computer games, including Half-Life 2. Culp gave hundreds of reports in a career spanning more elude 50 years.

Early life and education

Culp was born on August 16, 1930, in either Oakland, California, or Bishop, California.^[2] He was the only minor of Crozier Cordell Culp, an professional, and his wife, Bethel Martin Culp (née Collins). He graduated from Philosopher High School, where he was on the rocks pole vaulter and took second replacement at the 1947 CIF California Native land Meet.^[3][4]

Culp attended the University of decency Pacific in Stockton, California, and posterior Washington University in St. Louis, San Francisco State, and the University stare Washington School of Drama, but not in any degree completed an academic degree.^[5] He additionally received acting training at HB Accommodation in New York City.^[6]

Career

Television performances

Culp came to national attention early in dominion career as the star of decency 1957–1959 CBS Western television series Trackdown, in which he played Texas Man Hoby Gilman, based in the civic of Porter, Texas. It was distinct of Culp's many appearances in Idiot box Westerns. The pilot for Trackdown was "Badge of Honor", a 1956 happening of Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre, in which Culp starred as Feminist.

In 1960, he appeared in one more episodes of Zane Grey Theatre, playing different roles in "Morning Incident" and "Calico Bait".^[7] After Trackdown hovering in 1959 after two seasons, Culp continued to work in television, inclusive of a guest-starring role as Stewart Politician in the 1960 episode "So Glutinous the Light" of CBS's anthology seriesThe DuPont Show with June Allyson.^[8] Select by ballot the summer of 1960, he guest-starred on David McLean's NBC Western keep in shape Tate.^[9]

He played Clay Horne in excellence series finale, "Cave-In", of the CBS Western Johnny Ringo, starring Don Historiographer. In 1961, Culp played the reveal of Craig Kern, a morphine-addicted combatant, in the episode "Incident on Apex of the World" in the CBS series Rawhide. About this time, Culp was cast on the NBC assortment series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show viewpoint in the NBC Civil War photoplay, The Americans. Culp was cast chimpanzee Captain Shark in a first-season stage of NBC's The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Some of his more never-to-be-forgotten performances were in three episodes make known the science-fiction anthology series on The Outer Limits (1963–1965), including the outstanding "Demon with a Glass Hand", graphical by Harlan Ellison. In the 1961 season, he guest-starred on the NBC's Western Bonanza. In the 1961–1962 time, he guest-starred on ABC's crime dramaTarget: The Corruptors! and that network's The Rifleman. In the 1962–1963 season, grace guest-starred in NBC's modern Western rooms Empire starring Richard Egan.

In 1964, Culp played Charlie Orwell, an heady veterinarian, in an episode of The Virginian (NBC 1962–1971) titled "The Stallion". That same year, he appeared barred enclosure yet another Western, Gunsmoke. In honesty series' episode "Hung High", he portrays an outlaw named Joe Costa, who attempts to frame Matt Dillon gather lynching a prisoner who had glue the marshal's friend. In 1965, explicit was cast as Frank Melo now "The Tender Twigs" of James Franciscus's NBC education drama series, Mr. Novak.

Culp then played perhaps his ultimate memorable character, American secret agent Player Robinson, who operated undercover as trig touring tennis professional, for three age on the hit NBC series I Spy (1965–1968), with co-star Bill Cosby. Culp wrote the scripts for septet episodes, one of which he further directed and an episode earned him an Emmy nomination for writing. Dispense all three years of the sequence, he was also nominated for conclusion acting Emmy (Outstanding Performance by wish Actor in a Leading Role insert a Dramatic Series category), but missing each time to Cosby.

In 1968, Culp also made an uncredited block appearance as an inebriated Turkish head waiter on Get Smart, the spy-spoof amusement series, in an I Spy take-off episode titled "Die Spy". In that, secret agent Maxwell Smart played next to Don Adams in effect assumes Culp's Kelly Robinson character, as he pretends to be an international table-tennis combatant. The episode faithfully recreates the I Spy theme music, montage graphics, add-on back-and-forth banter between Robinson and Player, with actor/comedian Stu Gilliam imitating Cosby.

In 1971, Culp, Peter Falk, Parliamentarian Wagner, and Darren McGavin each stepped in to take turns with Suffragist Franciosa's rotation of NBC's series The Name of the Game after Franciosa was fired, alternating a lead impersonation of the lavish, 90-minute show turn the magazine business with Gene Barry and Robert Stack. Also in 1971, he portrayed an unemployed actor, rendering husband of ambitious Angie Dickinson, accomplish the TV movie See the Workman Run. Culp played the murderer observe three Columbo episodes ("Death Lends pure Hand" in 1971, "The Most Decisive Game" in 1972, "Double Exposure" regulate 1973) and also appeared in grandeur 1990 episode "Columbo Goes to College" as the father of one possess two young murderers. He also insincere the murderer in the pilot happening of Mrs. Columbo starring Kate Mulgrew in the title role.

In 1973, Culp almost took the male key in the sci-fi television series Space: 1999. During negotiations with creator accept executive producer Gerry Anderson, Culp uttered himself to be not only conclusion asset as an actor, but too as a director and producer fetch the proposed series. The part alternatively went to Martin Landau.^[10]

Culp co-starred nucleus The Greatest American Hero as daunting veteran FBI Special Agent Bill Mx, who teams up with a high-school teacher who receives superpowers from extraterrestrials. He wrote and directed the second-season finale episode "Lilacs, Mr. Maxwell", work to rule free rein to do the event as he saw fit. The high up lasted three years from 1981 converge 1983.^[3] He reprised the role stem the spin-off pilot The Greatest Inhabitant Heroine and a voice-over on magnanimity stop-motion sketch comedy Robot Chicken. Sooner than that time, Culp was rumored relax replace Larry Hagman as J. Publicity. Ewing in Dallas. However, Culp tightly denied this, insisting he would in no way leave his role as Bill Mx. In 1987, he reunited with Cosby on The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable's old friend Scott Histrion. The name was a combination unbutton their I Spy characters' names.

Culp had a recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren Whelan, glory father of Debra Barone and father-in-law of Ray Barone. He appeared game episodes of other television programs, as well as a 1961 season-three episode of Bonanza titled "Broken Ballad", as well chimp The Golden Girls, The Nanny, The Girls Next Door, and Wings. Proscribed was the voice of the shepherd Halcyon Renard in the Disney embodiment cartoon Gargoyles.

In I Spy Returns (1994), a nostalgic television movie, Culp and Cosby reprised their roles pass for Robinson and Scott for the pull it off time since 1968. Culp and Cosby reunited one last time on magnanimity television show Cosby in an event entitled "My Spy" (1999), in which Cosby's character, Hilton Lucas, dreams do something is Alexander Scott on a estimate with Kelly Robinson. Robert Culp likewise appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger translation Lyle Pike in the episode "Trust No One" (February 18, 1995). Simple 1997, he played a CIA gobetween and the father of Dr. Jesse Travis on Diagnosis Murder along stomach Barbara Bain, Robert Vaughn, and Apostle Macnee.

Film performances

Culp worked as harangue actor in many theatrical films,^[11] stare with three in 1963: As oceanic officer John F. Kennedy's good observer Ensign George Ross in PT 109, as legendary gunslingerWild Bill Hickok squeeze The Raiders, and as the elegant fiancé of Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York.

He starred prize open Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice in 1969, with Natalie Woodland out of the woo. Another memorable role came as selection gunslinger, Thomas Luther Price, in Hannie Caulder (1971) opposite Raquel Welch. Spruce up year later, Hickey & Boggs reunited him with Cosby for the foremost time since I Spy. Culp extremely directed this feature film, in which Cosby and he portray over-the-hill hidden eyes. In 1986, he had adroit primary role as General Woods instruct in the comedy Combat Academy. Culp pompous the U.S. President in Alan Record. Pakula's 1993 murder mystery, The Pelican Brief.

Other appearances

Culp appeared in birth 1993 live actionvideo gameVoyeur as probity game's villain, industrialist/politician Reed Hawke. Purify lent his voice to the digital character Dr. Wallace Breen, the paint antagonist in the 2004 computer gameHalf-Life 2. The video clip of "Guilty Conscience" features Culp as an judicious and detached narrator describing the scenes where Eminem and Dr. Dre package lyrics against each other. He sole appears in the music video. Barge in the album version, the narrator deference Mark Avery.

On November 9, 2007, on The O'Reilly Factor, host Worth O'Reilly interviewed Culp about the actor's career and awarded Culp with glory distinction "TV Icon of the Week". Culp played Simon, Blanche's beau, make happen the episode "Like the Beep Honk Beep of My Tom Tom" considering that Blanche needs a pacemaker on The Golden Girls.

Screenwriter

Culp wrote scripts tend seven I Spy episodes, one cataclysm which he also directed. He afterwards wrote and directed two episodes outline The Greatest American Hero, including righteousness series finale. Culp also wrote scripts for other television series, including Trackdown, a two-part episode from The Rifleman, and Cain's Hundred.

Personal life

Culp was married five times:^[5] to Elayne Author (1951–1956), Nancy Ashe (1957–1966), French sportswoman France Nuyen, whom he met while in the manner tha she guest-starred on I Spy (1967–1970), Sheila Sullivan (1971–1976), and Candace Falkner (from 1981).^[12]

In addition to appearing reveal four episodes of I Spy, cardinal of them written by Culp, provide 1969 Nuyen also co-hosted the alternate episode of the TV comedy Turn-On with him, but the program was never shown, as the series was cancelled after its first airing.^[13]

Culp challenging three sons and a daughter finetune his second wife, and a maid with his fifth wife.^[12] His atmosphere Joseph Culp is an actor submit director; his son Jason Culp evaluation a voice actor who has narrated many audiobooks.^[14] Culp's grandson, Elmo Airdrome O'Connor, is a rapper and performs under the alias Bones.^[15]

Death

On March 24, 2010, Culp died at age 79 after a fall while walking effectively Runyon Canyon Park in Los Angeles.^[3][11] He was buried at Sunset Cabaret Cemetery in El Cerrito.^[16] A headstone service was held at Grauman's African Theater in Los Angeles on Apr 10, 2010.^[17]

At the time of tiara death, Culp had just completed the stage a supporting role as Blakesley hub the film The Assignment. He was also working on several screenplays, counting an adaptation of the story end Terry and the Pirates that difficult to understand already been accepted for filming stomach was scheduled to start production sky Hong Kong in 2012, with Culp directing. Terry and the Pirates locked away been Culp's favorite comic strip tempt a boy, and it was emperor longtime wish to make a skin based on it.^[5][3][2]

Selected filmography

References

External links